The content is accurate at the time of publication and is subject to change.
That's a good question, and one that many people don't think to ask before using their new balance transfer credit cards. In fact, you can use your new card to make purchases – but it's not a good idea to do so. The reason is that if you charge things to your new card, you'll pay a higher rate of interest on those purchases, and while you're paying good money to pay down your debt, you'll be incurring more debt on those new purchases. So you're better off getting two new credit cards: one with a zero interest on purchases introductory offer, and a separate one to transfer your balance to, so you can pay that down interest-free. In an ideal world, you wouldn't carry a balance on another credit card at all, until you've paid off the first balance on your 0% APR card, but if you must buy more things on a credit card, use a different one if you can.